What began in blood shall end in?
by CelebrenIthil
Summary: This oneshot takes place into Shinra Tower after Sephiroth's attack. What awaits the President's son inside? Rufus POV, implied violence and stuff... End is a little surprising.


Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 is the property of Square-Enix and also one of their most prolific cash cows... And I'm so happy it is! Yaaayyy! Gawds I love that game!

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This fanfiction featuring **Rufus Shinra** was originaly made as a practice in my French class! The imposed topic was "a rupture"! It came out pretty well, so well I've re-worked the text and posted it on ffnet as a one-shot. (that I finally turned into a longer story by adding chapters...)

One day I received a very surprising review from an English reader, **Peeble**! ...You were such a great help (but I think you know it now...) because I would never had translated it alone. I was awed to see you've read the whole story by translating it bit by bit on Babel Fish! You are very patient! ...And I really feel honored that not only my story interested you enough for you to do that, but also that you liked my picture enough to come and check here! Thanks for reviviwing, helping me and fixing my errors and overally, lighten my day!

So, let's say the following is dedicated to you!

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**In the name of the Father and Son**

4 :31 pm: Finally, we arrive.

I cannot take it anymore. These trips by helicopter between Junon and Midgar exhaust me. I will finally be able to rest my legs and breathe a large bowl of the foul air of the Capital. The odor of the people that lies in its filth and the junk of the rich.  
Through the window, I see us approaching the Shinra building, dominating the town of its 350 stories...The building of my father's company, of which I am the vice-president, the richest and most powerful company on the Planet! ...But, at what cost?  
Ah! I prefer not to think of it! I have enough concerns like that, I will not begin to question everything because some illuminated group of terrorist-ecologists claims we'll bring the end of the world! The extraction of Mako energy harms environment, I have to admit, but now, saying it would kill the Planet...!  
Pfffft...

I absent mindedly caress the black fur of DarkNations who is coiled on the leather seat beside me, making a noise that sounds like purring. I still can't manage to find whether he is canine, or catlike in nature... ah, it is the inconvenience of these genetically modified animals. Moreover, I wonder why Hojo grafted tentacles to his shoulders...

The helicopter finally lands, and I go down as quickly as the protocol allows. Reno, of the Turk special brigade is waiting for me. He is my best friend. I suppose it's somewhat surprising. At first sight, we look like complete opposites. I am fair-skinned, blond, short-tempered, impatient and always impeccable in my clothes of an immaculate white..

He is, on the other hand, a spiky red head, tall and slack, with untidy hair and suit,  
always looking at everyone cooly, an agreeable smile on his lips...  
But by looking into the eye of the other, we recognize our own kind, we both share this gleam of superiority, arrogance and determination.

Reno is also accompanied by the large Heidegger, the Minister of Interior Peace. I walk towards them, and immediately notice by the looks on their faces that something is wrong. Really wrong.

"What's going on?" I crudely ask in my habitual annoyed tone, brushing aside the strand of hair that had fallen in front of my eyes.

"Ruf-... I mean, Mister vice-president", Reno says awkwardly, "the building... was attacked. By  
fugitive Number 666...  
Sephiroth."

I almost fall to the floor in surprise! Sephiroth! He who was formerly our best element! An Elite SOLDIER, genetically modified, that became without reason our most frightening enemy!

"A... alone?" I manage to articulate.

"Yes... he assaulted the building all by himself! ...One of the guards just survived to tell us."

At these words, Reno, always so collected, hardly managed to hold in a shiver. I push away a particularly disturbing mental image of the survivor's state and concentrate on Reno's voice.

"...and since then, there have been no signs of life coming from the inside. Moreover, all the lines are dead..."

"...Including the line to your father", Heidegger breathed faintly

At these very words, I realize that I must collect myself again, and serve as an example... act as chief.  
Because now we are alone...

5:22 pm: The organization was fast and effective. One of the better qualities of the Shinra's personnal infantry. I quickly assemble a group of soldiers, sorted on the spot (we have no time to be picky) as well as the few available elite elements to investigate the building.

We do not know what awaits inside. The anguish grips my heart when we approach the principal entrace, as quiet as death...

I feel my manual repeating rifle (or in vulgar terms, shotgun), safely craddled inside my coat, against my leg, and behind me Reno engages his electrical rod. DarkNations advances at my side with a pace equal to my own. I feel some comfort from it. It is childish, I must amit, but I somehow feel that nothing bad is going to happen to me as long as I am with them.  
I trust them... And they trust me the same way.  
... I do not want to disappoint them.

Drawing aside the blond bang in front of my eyes, I walk forward, push the double door... and I see what remains of people who were caught in the slaughter. The walls are smeared with their blood.  
My legs are weakening in spite of myself, and I feel nauseous.  
I'm going to vomit...

I close my eyes so hard it almost hurts and wish with all my heart that all of this is nothing but a nightmare. I want to flee, to get as far from here as I can and forget about it.…  
No!  
Rufus, you must keep control, bloody hell! You must act strong! Be the example!  
Do not let terror invade you...

I hear various exclamations of horror from the rest of the troop behind me. I think one of them is throwing up. Without unclenching my teeth, I order them to continue.

As we explore the immense building, I find myself becoming accustomed to all these corpses... the human mind will always surprise me with it's capacities of adaptation... if only there wasn't this foul smell...

I lay my eyes upon a familiar form. I feel a small pinching in my heart when I recognize that little secretary who had such a beautiful smile, lying limply on the floor. I suppose that my chances with her are gone now...

Nobody survived. Nobody... my heart suddenly beats faster. My father! What if my father died?  
I miss an heartbeat.

No, impossible! He's the most powerful man in the world!  
He had survived so many murdering attempts, he simply can't be...!

But Sephiroth is not any vulgar assassin... he is a monster.

I suddently dash forward, my boots slipping in the blood as my legs carry me through corridors filled with bodies. My troop manage to follow me… too slowly though. I don't wait for them. I must know... I must know... My heart is racing, the stress and adrenalin making me forget that I am not accustomed to run insanely like this. Suddenly, here it is! The door of my father's office.

I stop brutally, slipping a little because of the blood soaked into my shoes. And I stand there, dubious of what I must do, breathing in short and painful gasps.

I fear what I will discover on other side...  
I push the door open. My sweaty hand slips on the polished knob... and then I see it.

My father is sitting in his armchair, like always. But never more he'll rise from it. A sword,  
the sword of Sephiroth, has nailed him there for eternity...

My heart stops.

I remain there, incredulous.  
Reno and DarkNations arrive behind me, soon followed by the rest of the troop.  
It seems to me that time is slowing down, until it finally stops. I don't hear them... I don't see them... I do not see anything...

My brain finally arrives to the conclusion: my father  
died. He's dead. DEAD.

The temporal bubble seems to pop, and all the noises, all the feelings come back to me at the same time that I come back to consciousness. And intense, marvellous tide of happiness overwhelms me !

An enormous weight lifts off my heart! All these years of quiet prayers that someone would release me from my father, this rotten jerk, this liar, this coward! Too coward to beat me himself! He paid somebody to do it in his place!Of course, he ordered to strike me everywhere exept in the face: that's how we raise the children like me! But it should remain unnoticed, those stupid people would surely react bad if they saw bruises on the face of the President's son. It was necessary to keep up the illusion, for the best of the company!  
It is him who paid the assassin that murdered my mother, I know it! She became increasingly cumbersome to him, he should not have married her, she used to be interesting but he grew weary of her, and he found new, younger and cuter mistresses!

Such a huge amount of hatred has burned my very soul and now, finally, leaves me!  
I want to scream with joy, to hug everyone into my arms, to jump on the desk and dance around!

But reality catches back on me quicker than a rat trap, like it always does. I cannot exult like this, I must remain calm, hide my joy, to save the appearances in this hard time for the Shinra Electric Power Company.

Reno, who slipped in silently behind me, lays his hand on my shoulder.

"Mister vice-president?"

I turn around, using the impassive face I learned to do so well, and I meet his gaze.

"I believe that vice president is... no longer an appropriate term." I say, the complete coolness of my voice contradicting the violent joy shaking inside me.

And then, a small complacent smile takes shape on Reno's thin lips, and he exclaims:

"The king is dead! Long live the king!"

**...The End!** ((..of this chapter!))

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Well, that's it for now, I hope you liked the story! I think you got the idea, but I want to thank Peeble for a last time! I wish there was more helping people like you!

This officially becomes my first serious English fanfiction! Yay!  
Let's hope it's not the last!

Lots of kisses everyone! And if you may, review! Tee-hee!


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